Cop gunned down by Maoists in Karnataka

An assistant sub inspector of police was killed in a shoot out between the policemen and naxalites in the forest areas near Agumbe in Karnataka’s Shimoga district on Tuesday night.

According to Inspector General of Police (Western Range) A N Prasad, the anti naxal force combing the forest areas encountered a group of naxalites in the forest late on Tuesday. During the exchange of fire, assistant sub inspector of police Venkatesh was killed while a women naxalite is suspected to have sufferred injuries.

The shoot-out continued for about three hours and the naxalites finally managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Heavy rains lashing the area prevented the anti naxal force from pursuing the naxalites.

The mortal remains of Venkatesh were consigned to flames yesterday. Meanwhile, the anti naxal force intensified its combing operations in the forests around Agumbe.

The encounter between police and naxals took place hours after a group of armed naxalites barged into the house of BJP leader Ranganath on the outskirts of Sringeri in the region and announced their decision to impose a dawn-to-dusk shut down in and around Kudremukh National Park on Thursday to protest the “fake encounter” at Menisanahadya last week.

Through Ranganath, who is the Sringeri Taluk’s BJP President, the naxalites sought to convey to the Government their demands, which included immediate withdrawal of the anti naxal force from the forest areas.

The naxalites even used Ranganath’s telephone to make calls to journalists in the region to convey to the public their call for a shutdown on Thursday. They said all educational institutions, shops and business establishments in the region should be closed in response to their call for shut down.